Improvement in sugar-cane mills



E; W. SKINNER Sugar Cane Mill.

No. 55,379 Patented June 5, 1866.

Wifizesesx- %MMQ/ 16M Nita STATES ATENT Fries.

E. W. SKINNER, OF MADISON, WISCONSIN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,379.. dated June 5, 1866; antedated December 5, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. W. SKINNER, of the city of Madison, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Sugar-Cane Mills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters and figuresmarked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention consists in arranging between the front and rear lower rollers a suitable bar or plate supported in the frame of the machine so as to prevent the cane from dropping down between said rollers, said plate having appropriate shoulders or projections at each end to guide said cane inward away from the ends of the rollers, and thus prevent its passin g between the frame and ends of the rollers;

and, secondly, my invention consists in ar ranging cups directly beneath each of the bearings of the rollers to catch the oil used in lubricating said bearings, and prevent its intermingling with and injuring the juice.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand how to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with particularity, making referencein so doing to the aforesaid drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a transverse vertical section of my invention Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a detached view thereof,

- in section, showing the construction of the aforesaid oil-cup; and Fig. 4 is a detached view of the guide or plate for kecpingthe cane between the rollers, as aforesaid.

Similar letters of reference in the different figures indicate the same parts of my invention.

A B 0 represent the horizontal crushingrollers, A B being the front rollers, between which the cane is fed to the mill, the roller 0 being supported upon adjustable bearings, so that, by means of the levers M and suitable weights attached to the ends thereof, the said roller 0 is continually and properly adjusted, with respect to the roller A, so as to afford a uniform and equal pressure upon all parts of the cane passing between them, at the same time allowing a yielding motion when any hard substances are passing through, thereby preventing the breaking of the mill.

L represents the side frame-pieces of the machine, in which the journals of the crushing-rollers are supported, across the top of which frame, above the rollers, is properly socured a circular crown-plate, (marked E,) which is provided at its center with a vertical conical spindle (marked F) cast upon said crown-plate, which serves as the axis or bearing upon the crown-wheel D, which rests upon said plate and revolves, which is effected by attaching a sweep to the uprights D, attached thereto. Through the center of said spindle F there passes arod having a head upon its lower end, to prevent its being drawn up through, and having a screw out upon its upper end, so that by means of a follower and a nut, as shown, the crown-wheel may be securely held down upon the spindle and crown-plate aforesaid. The crown-wheel is provided upon its circumference with suitable teeth, which engage with those upon the wheel H, upon the axis of the roller A, so that by means of the gearwheels I J J the revolution of said crownwheel imparts the requisite motion to the rollers.

N represents the before'mentioned plate arranged between the rollers, the edge being arranged toward the front roller, as shown, the ends thereof passing through the blocks P, which fit in appropriate apertures in the side frames, and being securely attached to the machine in the proper position by means of the nuts Q. As shownin Fig. 4, at each end of said plate there are the inclined vertical shoulders O 0, so that while the inclined face of the plate N gives the cane an upward and forward direction, they said end projections or shoulders give it a direction away from the ends of the rollers, thus keeping the cane entirely between the rollers and not permitting it to escape over the ends, thus saving much juice that would otherwise be lost.

a, as shown in Fig. 2, and more particularly in Fig. 3, represents a small cup cast upon the frame which supports the journals of the rollers, one being arranged under each bearing, so as to catch the waste oil used in lubricating the bearings and prevent the mingling of the same with the juice, said cups being provided, or constructed with a small outlet at the bottom, as shown, (marked c,) which conveys said oil to theoutside of the mill, where it escapes, and which would otherwise mingle with the juice and greatly injure the same.

Having described my invention, I will now specify what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. Arranging a guide or shed, N, provided with shouldersO O,between the lower rollers, to prevent the cane from running ofi' the ends of the rear roller, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Arranging beneath the journal-bearings of the rollers the cups to, provided with outlets a, substantially as and for the purposes described. 7 V

E. W. SKINNER.

Witnesses:

N. B. CARR, STEPHEN YOUNG. 

